Mafiatale
by Darkest101 Reviews
Summary: Ebbot City. 1924. The humans stick to their side of the city and the monsters to theirs. The tension between them and their oppressive masters is reaching a boiling point. A powder keg ready to blow. In a time of speakeasies and gang warfare, anything could set off the bomb Ebbot City has become.
1. Prologue

**Mafiatale**

 **An Undertale AU Fiction by D101 Reviews**

 **Prologue**

There was a time not so long ago where we lived together wasn't there? A time where monsters and humans lived side by side. Where we worked together at the same jobs. Where our children played together in the streets. We sat at the same table, ate the same foods, drank the same drinks, laughed at the same awful jokes and wept at the same stories we fell in love with as children.

…

What happened? It's a difficult question to answer. All I can say for certain is that one day, we monsters were treated differently. The humans… they didn't trust us the way they used to. After a few long years, monsters and humans practically had their own cities. I mean, technically, yes it was one city but the humans stayed to their streets and we stuck to ours. It was… it was a bad pill to swallow.

They even made laws about it. I know right? They made laws specific to monsters, specific to keep us in our section and humans in theirs. Didn't help that the city governors were all human.

I mean it's not like all humans treated us differently. A lot of humans remembered the good times we had together so, there was a lot of law breaking on both sides to see old friends.

Ebott City sure did turn into a weird place when this all started. A new era had begun. Time of the speakeasy, of jazz music, a time where science was really startin' to break into a run. A time were money could be swapped for blood or booze as quick as you could blink.

And most importantly, this was a time when the gang wars were starting to kick off.

…

God damn I had a whole lotta fun during that time.


	2. Chapter 01: Human Child, All Alone

**Mafiatale**

 **An Undertale AU Fiction by D101 Reviews**

 **Chapter 01: Human Child, All Alone**

"Frisk come along!"

Frisk looked up from the shop window he'd been peering into and stumbled after his aunt, pushing his cap out of his eyes as it slide down to blind him momentarily once again. It was a size too big; having once belonged to a boy much older than him. He reached his hand and grasped hold of his aunt's hand. She looked down at him in surprise and gently extracted her hand from his grip. Frisk stuck out his bottom lip in protest but didn't say anything.

Frisk had lived with his aunt for a long while. He couldn't exactly remember when he'd started living with her. He knew it was after his parents died though. There wasn't much he could remember of how they'd died or what they'd been like. He knew his mom had been nice though. One of his happiest memories was when she'd taken him to get some candy from the lady monster who ran the corner shop just down the road where they used to live. His dad had been nice too. When Frisk was tired his dad used to put him in his lap and hold him to his chest so Frisk could hear his heartbeat.

His aunt wasn't nice. She was his father's older sister he knew but she wasn't like his dad. She didn't like being close to Frisk in any way. She'd send him to bed early, without the calming sound of a heartbeat to set him at ease. She was also mean to monsters.

Frisk didn't understand why his Aunt didn't like monsters. All the monsters Frisk had met were generally very nice. Not that he saw many monsters these days. The new school his aunt had sent him to was a human's only school on the northern side of the city.

Frisk's aunt suddenly placed her hand on his shoulder and began to guide him swiftly across the road. Frisk looked up confused, his hat sliding into his eyes again. He pushed his hat back and looked around to see why his aunt was guiding them across the road. He couldn't see anything nearby. All he saw was a young woman with her brown hair cut in the fashion of some dancer he often saw in the papers. She met Frisk's gaze and nodded, before pulling her hat down over her eyes and walking off.

Was his aunt trying to avoid the young woman maybe? Frisk couldn't be sure. They turned down an alleyway and cut past a few buildings to emerge in a public square, rammed full of people slowly making their way through the public market. Most were human but some of them were most definitely monsters. Frisk smiled at the familiar sight of these monsters as his aunt reached down to gingery take his hand, shopping basket slipping into her free hand.

Frisk liked the market. The market was one of the good things that had come from moving in with his aunt. They went every week so his aunt could buy fresh fruit and vegetables along with what she referred to as, normal food. Frisk didn't need to ask what his aunt meant by normal food. His aunt was a good cook, but sometimes he missed the monster meals his father managed to put on the table every Saturday night.

His aunt picked up a bottle of milk from a market stall and began haggling for a price as Frisk looked around, twisting a few dollar bills he had saved from his allowance for a few weeks now. Whether or not he wanted to spend any of it now however remained to be seen.

Then he spotted it. A market stall filled with toffees, chocolates, gobstoppers and all other candies. But that wasn't the best part. The stall was manned by an elderly looking female monster. It had been so long since Frisk had had any monster candy. He licked his lips instinctively.

Worming his hand from the grasp of his aunt, he ran head first into the crowd and started pushing his way past the throng of people in order to reach the candy stand. He could practically taste the delicious treats already.

So excited was he that he didn't realise he was at the market stall until he almost ran into it. He braced himself against the edge of the stall and the lady monster behind it gave a small gasp of surprise before she gave a small chuckle at Frisk's eager smile. She looked down at him kindly with that all familiar glimmer that was so consistent in a monster's gaze.

"Hello there dearie," she said sweetly. "And what can I get for such a handsome lad like you today?"

Frisk looked down bashfully and scuffed his feet a little, a blush of embarrassment colouring his gently tanned cheeks. He then held up his handful of dollar bills and rested it on the counter looking around at the selection on offer. The monster lady waited for Frisk to make his decision with a patient smile on her face.

He spotted a big slab of white chocolate under a glass dish and his big brown eyes lit up like a christmas tree and he pointed eagerly at it, beaming. The monster lady followed his pointing finger and smiled.

"Ah, that's looking very popular today," she said as she got a paper bag and lifted the glass off of the chocolate and started putting big chucks of chocolate into the bag. She looked left and right before leaning slyly in and whispering conspiratorially to Frisk. "Between you and me it's my personal favourite too. But that's a secret between you and me okay?" Frisk nodded fervently and the monster lady laughed. "Here, I'll put you a little piece extra in okay? But don't tell anybody."

Frisk beamed and handed his money over to receive the paper bag filled with delicious monster candy. He popped a square of white chocolate in his mouth and waved goodbye to the monster lady, tuning on his heel to make his way back through the throng of people. His aunt probably wouldn't be very happy that he'd bought monster candy. She'd probably take it away and then Frisk wouldn't get to eat it.

He spotted his aunt, a little way from the milk stand now, examining boxes of eggs. She'd be distracted for a little while, giving Frisk the perfect opportunity to find a place to hunker down and eat his chocolate in peace. He'd probably get sick if he ate it all now, but he didn't mind. It might give him an excuse to stay away from school the following Monday.

He pushed his way out of the square and made his way to a nearby park. A few kids were playing in the park with their parents. Frisk tried not to feel envious at the relationship they must have as a family unit and sat down at a park bench, putting another square into his mouth. He watched a young girl swing on the arms of her parents and tried to ignore the lump in his chest.

A little while later and a new group of families were gathered in the park, people had streamed away to and from the market and Frisk was still picking away at his chocolate. The chocolate was starting to melt a bit now and Frisk was starting to feel a little sickly. Regret was now creeping into mind that maybe he should have bought some milk chocolate, or maybe not spent all of his money in one place.

He was just wondering where his aunt was when the paper bag was suddenly snatched from under his grasp. His head whipped around and he saw a monster kid running away, Frisk's paper bag of monster candy in their grasp.

"Hey!" Frisk cried jumping to their feet and giving chase. "That's mine!"

The monster kid looked back and sped up, their stumpy tail wagging almost mockingly. Frisk gave a growl of frustration and ran faster too, though the monster kid was much faster. He didn't have any arms though Frisk noted, so maybe if he tripped on something?

This train of thought was quickly dashed as the monster kid hopped nimbly over and tipped over trash can and picked his way on his tip toes through the spilled rubbish. Frisk darted around the can and jumped unsteadily over the trash, stumbled and fell onto his knees. He gave a small grunt of pain as he scraped his right knee on the ground, his tan shorts not offering much protection from the harsh asphalt. He got to his feet, rubbed his nose and set off again, following the monster kid even deeper into the city, refusing to let the back of his yellow, spined head out of sight. He'd paid over a month's allowance on that monster candy!

"Give, it, back!" Frisk cried in between wheezing pants.

The monster kid turned around suddenly, smiled smugly, and tilted his head back and taking the bag into his mouth which, Frisk realised in horror, was already empty. The monster kid chewed for a moment or two, before he spat the empty and moist bag at Frisk and ran away again, laughing madly.

Frisk slowed to a walk as he came to the wet remains of his chocolate bag. He kicked it meekly with his shoe and sniffed, eyes beginning to well up with tears. His knee was cut pretty badly, he was tired and sore and his monster candy had been stolen and eaten. He couldn't help it. He started crying.

His sobs racked his chest and his tears ran down his cheeks to splat onto the ground at his feet. Shuddering breath after shuddering breath made him quake from head to toe. All he wanted was for his aunt to come take his hand and lead him back home. He kicked the bag again hoping it would make him feel a little better. When that proved to be less than effective he turned to go, tears still wet in his eyes.

He stopped crying then as a terrible realisation dawned on him. He had no idea where he was. Frisk took an unsteady step backwards and looked left and right, trying to see which way he came from, for something that would trigger a memory that would lead him back home. Nothing. Nothing at all twigged in his mind. He started shaking now, new fresh tears bubbling to the surface. Quiet tears, the tears of a child who wanted so badly to call into the darkness. The tears of a little boy who wants so desperately to just scream: 'Mommy! Daddy! Somebody help!'

The tears of a boy who kept quiet because he knew no matter how hard he could cry the reult was always the same.

'But nobody came…'


	3. Chapter 02: Your Best 'Friends'

**Mafiatale**

 **An Undertale AU Fiction by D101 Reviews**

 **Chapter 02: Your Best 'Friends'**

The street lamps were on now and Frisk had spent the entire day trying to find a way back to his aunt. He was tired, scared, hungry and as dusk matured into night, he became colder and colder. He was only wearing a thin cotton shirt. His aunt had insisted that he wouldn't need his jacket today; that he'd only get his shirt sweaty and dirty if he wore his jacket on such a nice warm day as this.

It was also her insistence he wore his shorts today, again for the same reason. Now because of her his knees were cut-up and bloodied, his shins were dirty and his socks were muddy. His shoes had been polished to a shine this morning and now they were filthy. Frisk sniffed despondently and made his way down another street.

A young monster, Frisk couldn't tell if they were male or female, slipped by. They were dressed in a very slim fitting pin-striped suit with perfectly polished dress shoes. They also had a fedora pulled low over their eyes, a golden flower stuck in the brim of said hat. They looked at Frisk for a moment and Frisk felt incredibly unnerved. He ducked down another side alleyway to avoid that piercing gaze.

He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes as he walked down the alleyway. He didn't know why but he knew he had to get away from the monster whom he'd just passed as soon as possible. He didn't like their eyes. Their eyes just felt… wrong.

The alleyway that he'd taken to avoid the monster however was much darker than the others he'd been down this evening; the wall lights here having been shattered by something. It felt colder too, though Frisk didn't know why. Broken glass crunched and splintered under his feet as he walked amongst the cobblestone of the narrow side street. Garbage and refuse banked up against the walls that flanked him.

He came to a small open area that looked like the back entrance to two very grimy looking tenement buildings. A lone streetlamp stood in the middle of the empty space, lighting up a very small circle in a very dirty and ugly orange glow. As Frisk stepped under the light he wondered if he should knock on the back door of any of the buildings to try and ask for help.

And then he heard footsteps behind him.

Frisk turned around quickly and saw three tall monsters walking towards him. All with black pinstriped suits. All with hats pulled low over their eyes. All very big and powerful looking.

One of them had pale green, slick, wet looking skin, with huge bulbous yellow eyes that looked to be in danger of popping out of their head and a mouth wide enough to fit around Frisk's whole head. They had no nose but two little slits in the middle of their face. A Froggit.

The second had very rough looking orange skin, like the skin of a carrot. Stringy green hair escaped beneath the brim of his hat, a few strands falling past to brush the nostrils of his very flat, squashed nose. His mouth was but a carved facsimile of the real thing, cut into a rough, cruel smile, like a jack-o-lantern. His eyes had the same look to them, except they cut through into his hollow head and revealed two, burning white flames that danced with glee. A Vegetoid.

The third had a very small mouth and two slanted, slit like nostrils instead of a nose. Their skin was a coppery colour and their teeth were uneven and sharp. A single, huge eye took up most of the monster' head, and it stared at Frisk intently, hardly blinking. Bloodshot, watery, it's iris was a deep, brooding blue. When it did, it was slow and deliberate. A Loox.

The Loox was the first one to speak.

"This is a lot easier than I thought it'd be," he said cooly.

"Ribbit ribbit," the Froggit replied, seeming to agree. The Vegetoid merely cracked the knuckles on both hands reflexively. This seemed to be enough for the Loox.

"Sorry kid," the Loox said, his iris darkening, turning from blue to black, to red. "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Frisk back up away from the three monsters. The monsters stepped forward in time with Frisk's retreat. Frisk backed up so quickly that he ended ip bashing his head against the street lamp as he backed up into it. He winced and tears began to bubble up at the corners of his eyes as a small lump began to rise up underneath the brim of his hat. He crouched down and threw his hands around to rub the pulsing spot.

The Froggit stopped as it saw this and turned to the Loox and the Vegetoid.

"Ribbit," it said. "Rib-bit ribbit ribbit."

The Loox turned to the Froggit, the power fading from his eyes and he frowned. "Who cares if the kid's lost. You know what we have to do. This'll be the seventh. That was the deal remember! Seven."

"Ribbit!" snapped the Froggit, shoving the Vegetoid back and squaring off against the Loox. "Ribbit ribbit!"

The Loox scowled and the Vegetoid's fiery eyes blazed green with livid fury.

"Do you really want _them_ finding out we let a kid get out of this side of the city? Do you understand what'll happen if _this_ brat gets away!? Someone will know! Someone will find out and then it'll go back to _them_ and then…"

The Loox breathed in deep through its nose and the Vegetoid stepped forward, gesticulating wildly with his hands and arms, his eyes blazing with a pale blue fire now. He looked scared. The Froggit shook its head.

"Ribbit," the Froggit muttered, still shaking it's head. "Rib-bit."

"You don't wanna get your hands dirty I get it," snapped the Loox, holding his hands up in defense, trying to defuse the situation. "I understand that but you really think letting this kid go is gonna change anything. If it's not us someone else and _we'll_ end up on the chopping block if… if _they_ find out we let this kid live."

The Vegetoid made a small gesture and the Loox nodded in agreement.

"Yeah well we can't rely on that can we. They tell each other everything and if one of them finds out, they both find out and then it's game over for all three of us. The kid's gotta die. And if you don't wanna do it, fine. Just don't stop us from doing our damn jobs."

The Froggit looked like there was more it wanted to say but it kept quiet and bowed its head. The Loox sighed, and turned to face Frisk, who hadn't moved during this whole exchange, still holding the back of his head, sniffling pathetically and curled up on the ground. The Loox sighed again before walking up to Frisk, the power welling up in his eye again.

"Nothing personal kid," the Loox said coolly. "Just one of those lessons you probably didn't learn yet."

Frisk looked up into the face of the Loox, tears dribbling down his cheeks. The Loox didn't even flinch, the power in his eye becoming even greater.

"See the thing about this world kid," the Loox sighed, the red of his eye becoming almost blinding now, sucking up all other light around it. "Well… in this world. It's kill or be killed…"

A bolt of fire appeared from nowhere and struck the Loox in the chest, sending him sprawling. He cried out as he hit the ground, smacking his head against the cobblestones and a brilliant red ring of energy flew into the air and disappeared into the night. The Vegetoid sprang into action, vines flying from his fingertips, launching over Frisk's head to attack something behind him. The same brilliant white fire appeared again, setting fire to the vines before they hit their mark. Someone tall, stepped in front of Frisk, shielding them, blocking out the fight. There were more blasts of fire, cries of pain from the Loox as magic and fire were thrown across from both sides of the cobbled area.

After a few seconds the sounds of magical combat disappeared and there was the sound of crackling flames very close to Frisk. The large figure moved slightly and Frisk could see the Loox and Vegetoid crumbled on the ground together, smoldering slightly. The Froggit looked on before pulling the brim down on his hat, nodding to the figure and turning away.

"Such miserable creatures, torturing such a poor defenseless youth," muttered the monster in front of Frisk as the fire they held disappeared. They turned and knelt down to check over Frisk and he saw their face for the first time. They looked vaguely goat-like, with a short snout, long ears resting on their shoulders, white twisted horns poking out from behind their ears. They were also covered in fluffy white fur and they had deep, soft, caring brown eyes. For some reason Frisk felt very safe when he looked into her eyes.

"Hello young one," the goat-monster said softly, smiling warmly at him. "I am Toriel."


	4. Chapter 03: Heartbreak

**Mafiatale**

 **An Undertale AU Fiction by D101 Reviews**

 **Chapter 03: Heartbreak**

The knock at the door caused Frisk to jump from the small sofa beside the fire, pulling the blanket that had been draped over him close to his small frame. Toriel looked up from her book at the motion and gave Frisk a reassuring smile, before she got to her feet and made her way to the door.

Keeping the door on the chain she opened it and peered in the gap that was created. She gave a relieved sigh before she closed the door to release the chain and open it properly.

"Thank you for coming so suddenly," she said to the monster as she stepped aside to allow them inside.

"Not to worry Miss Toriel," said a warm yet oddly high voice. "I am never one to disappoint a friend in need. Where is the human?"

"They're by the fireside. Again I can't thank you enough for coming. Those ruffians I caught trying to harm the poor boy weren't much but I fear I might be starting to feel my age a bit."

"Nonsense you look magnificent!"

There was the sound of shoes clacking on the wooden floor of Toriel's hallway, accompanied by the soft padding of Toriel's bare feet. She appeared first, taking a seat beside Frisk and placing a hand in his hair and ruffling it gently. She sank deep into the cushions of the sofa, it having not been designed for a monster as large as Toriel was. Frisk smiled at this as the newcomer stepped into the firelight and looked about for a chair, to which Toriel offered the armchair she had previously occupied.

The figure gave a nod and sat down in the proffered chair and Frisk got to look at him properly for the first time.

He'd heard of skeletal monsters before but this was his first time seeing one. He was tall, with long legs and a thin skull, the ridges of bone over his eyes moving with great flexibility as he looked at Frisk. He wore a peach coloured button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and red braces hooked into his pinstriped brown suit trousers. A black tie, tan brown leather gloves and black and white spats completed the ensemble. His expression was kindly as he looked at Frisk. The jacket of his suit was draped lazily over one arm and he held a tan trilby hat in the other hand. A revolver was just visible under his left armpit in a concealed holster.

"Greetings human," the skeleton said in a kind manner. "I am Papyrus. You may call me the Great Papyrus, for after all, that is what I am."

"Papyrus," Toriel said smiling.

"I'm merely telling the human lad the whole truth," Papyrus said with a conspiratorial wink to Frisk who giggled. "Now what's your name human?"

Frisk looked up at Toriel who nodded encouragingly. Frisk looked back at Papyrus: "Frisk. I'm Frisk."

"Nice to meet you Frisk," Papyrus said, pulling a notepad and pen from the breast pocket of his shirt. "Can you tell me how a little guy like you managed to get all the way into the Monster Slums?"

Frisk looked down, worried and slightly scared. Toriel put a reassuring hand on Frisk' shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"You're not in any trouble dear," Toriel told him. "Papyrus and I just want to help you get back to your mommy and daddy."

Frisk stiffened in Toriel's grasp and pulled the blanket closer still. "I don't… I…" he mumbled into the blanket, unsure how to articulate such a statement to these two kind monsters. What did they refer to it again? He remembered after a brief pause and looked at the fire grate. "They fell down…"

Toriel put a hand to her mouth and Papyrus gave a small uncomfortable wriggle in the armchair. After a moment he said, "Who looks after you then Frisk?"

"My auntie," Frisk mumbled. Papyrus gave a small nod.

"When did you last see your Auntie Frisk?"

"This morning."

"Can you tell me how you got here?"

Frisk nodded and began his story.

* * *

 _The Froggit knew this could have happened but he had hoped with all his being that it wouldn't have come to this. He didn't know what would happen to his Loox and Vegetoid companions after he had left. He knew the caretaker would not have the will within her to do much beside spare his two compatriots. If they had any sense they would most likely try to hide after they woke up… not that they could hide for very long._

 _He knew that ultimately_ they _would find them._

 _The car they were traveling in slowed to a crawl, before finally stopping. Froggit looked out at the murky outskirts of Ebott City before looking back at the monster sitting opposite him. The Majix looked back under the brim of his wide pointed hat, his wide mouth pulled into a taut smile, revealing pointed teeth. His Chaser and Corner orbs peered at Froggit from their respective positions in the back of the car. The Majix uncross his legs and the car door opened with a jolt and the Froggit was pulled out of the car by the lapels of his suit._

 _Night Knight threw him sprawling to the muddy ground, her towering figure blocking out the headlights of the second car that had been waiting for him. Froggit didn't try to get up. His body shook too much for him to even feel his limbs, let alone try and move them._

 _The sound of the other car's rear door opening and slamming closed brought him back to reality. A single figure walked out from the shadows behind the car's lights, emerging into the light to the Froggit's terror. The figure was tall, and radiated with a terrible power. Though Night Knight was broader and taller, she lacked the air of authority and power that was one of the hallmarks of a Boss Monster._

 _He wore a three piece suit of orchid purple, a crisp linen white shirt with golden cufflinks in the shape of the ancient Delta Ruin of the Old Monster Kingdom and a sharp looking black tie. He had a heavy dark grey overcoat draped over his shoulders like a cape almost, as the sleeves flapped empty in the wind, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his trousers. To complete the look was a fedora of the same shade of purple as his suit, a black ribbon tied around the crown, a single golden flower tucked between felt of hat and silk of ribbon._

 _The Boss looked down at Froggit with those deep brown eyes of his, his white fur shifting gently in the breeze, long ears almost resting on his shoulders._

" _So," the Boss said slowly, allowing his voice to strike into the core of Froggit's terror. "A human child in the Monster Slums?"_

 _Froggit nodded. He knew it wasn't his place to speak. Not yet._

" _You were on patrol with two others yes?" Another nod. "So how is it that a lone human child not only slips through your collective fingers, but lays out you Loox and Vegetoid companion, and we find you wandering the Slums without a scratch on you?"_

 _Froggit opened his mouth but no words came out. The Boss pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed heavily through his nose. He jerked his head and Night Knight gripped Froggit by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet, pinning his arms behind him. Froggit gulped as the Boss stepped up to look him in the face._

" _You've always been soft," the Boss sighed. "Too squeamish for the task at hand. You would have thought after we'd already killed six human children, you would have got the stomach for the dirty work." At this point the Boss punched Froggit in the gut and Froggit croaked loudly in pain. "So, we have a choice here for you." Froggit looked at the Boss, curious. "You tell me something I can use to find this human child… or we go find her." Froggit's eyes widened in terror and the Boss chuckled, a cold humour in his eyes._

" _Oh yes. She doesn't know about this. She'll be furious with you. She'll think you're trying to protect the poor brat." The Boss looked at the claws of the hand he'd used to punch Froggit. "I've never had much of a taste for punishing our own but… you know what she's like. She sees things her own way. Protecting a human is betrayal to all monsters. And you know how loyal she is to monsterkind." The Boss looked at Froggit again and all trace of humour and warmth was gone. The cold in those eyes was terrible. Froggit gulped again._

" _Ribbit," he managed to croak out. Then he screamed, "Ribbit ribbit!"_

 _The Boss' eyes widened at this before he scowled. "Toriel…"_

* * *

"Golden flowers huh?" Papyrus said, scribbling it down on his notepad. "No other unifying features?"

Frisk shook his head no. Papyrus nodded, before getting to his feet.

"Miss Toriel can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?" he asked, jerking his head at the kitchen door.

"Of course," Toriel said, getting to her feet and following Papyrus into the kitchen. She turned on one of the gas rings on top of the stove and lit it with a burst of fire from her fingertip. She filled the kettle and put it on the heat as Papyrus leant against the countertop and folded his arms across his chest.

"Golden flowers…" he muttered, almost to himself, eyes closed and shaking his head. "No doubt about it. It's them again."

"It's always children," Toriel sighed, pulling three cups and saucers from a cupboard. "Why Papyrus? Why the children?"

"I don't know," Papyrus sighed. "You'd have thought we'd get more clues about who these guys are the seventh time we hear about them."

"I have my suspicions," Toriel murmured. "But I hate to voice them."

Papyrus didn't say anything to this. He simply put his hat on and began to shrug on his jacket. Toriel looked up at this.

"You're not staying for some tea?" she asked surprised. He shook his head.

"I've got some puzzles I need to work on," Papyrus said enigmatically. "I'll check in later, keep on eye on the two of you."

"Thank you Papyrus," Toriel said smiling. He waved this away.

"Nothing to it. I'll start circulating the kid's description around the city, check in with the police on the human side of the city. If the human's aunt is any kind of relative, she'll certainly be worried about him."

"I know I would be," Toriel said, looking into the empty cups. Papyrus walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay safe Toriel," he said.


	5. Chapter 04: Here Comes

**Mafiatale**

 **An Undertale AU Fiction by D101 Reviews**

 **Chapter 04:** **Here Comes…**

Papyrus set his hat on the bar and sat on one of the stools, yawning slightly. Grillby looked up from where he stood as he cleaned a glass, before ambling over to Papyrus, grabbing a bottle from the rack and a second, clean glass from beneath the counter.

"Long night Pap?" Grillby asked, setting the glass before the skeleton and filling it with an amber liquid.

"You've no idea," Papyrus sighed, taking the bottle from Grillby's grasp into one hand and the glass in another.

"What was it this time?" Grillby said, getting a glass for himself. "Something you can talk about or should I just drink?"

"It's nothing like that," Papyrus said, pouring Grillby a drink and knocking back his own in the process. "Doggo's still laid up with his leg in a cast so had to do two patrol shifts."

"Any word on when he'll be off crutches?" Grillby asked, flicking a spark into his glass so the surface of his drink burst into blue fire.

"Doc's say another two weeks," Papyrus told him. "To top it off I got a call from Toriel halfway through my first route."

"Oh? Nothing bad's happened I hope," Grillby said, pouring the flaming liquid into the space where a mouth would be on a typical monster face.

"Depends on what you class as a bad. She's not hurt, just a small bit shaken. Those golden flower bastards are back and nearly offed another human kid."

Grillby froze slightly. "A human? In the Slums? You have a sketch?"

Papyrus nodded and slapped a page torn from his notebook upon which he had sketched Frisk's likeness. Grillby leaned over the sketch and rubbed his finger against his chin.

"Gods…" he mumbled. "So young. Handsome little fella ain't he?"

Papyrus shrugged and poured him and Grillby another glass. Grillby straightened up and lit his drink once more as Papyrus pulled back the sketch and tucked into the breast pocket of his shirt.

"These bastards are going after kids this young," Grillby murmured. "If I ever get my hands on one of those Golden Flower bastards…" Grillby paused and readjusted his glasses. "Well… I'll have to clean out the back room again."

Papyrus held up a hand and shook his head slowly. "Don't wanna know Grillby. What you do in that back room I don't wanna know about. You can keep that between you, lazy-bones and G."

Grillby chuckled, though there was no mirth in his voice. "Sorry. I know you're not exactly fond of our… necessities."

"Call them whatever you want Grillby," Papyrus shrugged. "Just don't give me the details."

"What're you going to do?" Grillby asked. Papyrus downed his drink.

"Everything I can," he replied. "Circulating his picture around Monsters I can trust. Going to the human police and telling him we've found a lost child and see if we can get in contact with his aunt."

"No parents?" Grillby asked surprised.

"Apparently not," Papyrus mumbled.

"Well whoever his aunt is, she's probably worrying her head off about where this little guy is," Grillby muttered. "I know I would be that's for dang sure." he paused for a second and looked at Papyrus. "Speaking of the Lazy-Bones, have you told him about this yet?"

"Haven't seen him tonight to tell him," Papyrus mumbled. "If I did tell him though you can be dang sure that he'll take it as an excuse to get away from his patrol route, landing me with his workload on top of mine." Papyrus gave a small bark of mirthless laughter. "I'm not letting him dump his work onto me again. Last time he did that I couldn't get him back on shift for three weeks." He shuddered. "Paperwork was a nightmare let me tell you."

"Nightmare paperwork or not this is Toriel we're talking about here," Grillby reminded him. "He'd want to know. It makes sense too and you know it. Two sets of eye sockets looking out for Toriel and this kid are better than one and… no offense Paps, you look run ragged."

Papyrus sighed and handed the bottle back to Grillby, looking in his reflection in the mirror behind Grillby's drink rack. It was difficult to tell when a monster like Papyrus was tired, they not having as expressive features of a typical monster. He didn't get bags or dark circles under his eye sockets, he wasn't capable of growing a five o'clock shadow and he had no hair to become messy and unkempt. It was all a case of body language. All a matter of how Papyrus slouched over his glass rather than sit straight up at the bar. Of how his eye sockets were half open, how his smile was less pronounced and how his hands shook ever so slightly when he reached for anything.

"When was the last time you slept Pap?" Grillby asked seriously.

"What time is it?" Papyrus yawned.

"Getting close to ten at night Paps," Grillby said, looking at the clock.

"I guess I work up at… I dunno seven in the morning?" Papyrus asked. Grillby fixed him with a look behind his glasses.

"What day?"

Papyrus looked uncomfortable. "It's not Tuesday?"

"Paps it's Sunday."

Papyrus slumped totally over the bar and slapped his hands on the back of his skull. Grillby patted him on the shoulder and the corners of his eyes crinkled, indicating a smile.

"Ah Paps…" he said slowly and shook his head. "You wait here pal. I'll call someone to get you home. Tell G to get someone to cover you for the rest of the night while you get some rest and freshen up."

Papyrus struggled to push himself up straight. "I've gotta go see Toriel… make sure she's okay."

Grillby looked at him in a tone that brokered no argument. "I'll call someone, tell them to check back on Tori later on. Make sure she doesn't have to worry about where you've got to as well as the kid. Now you rest up Paps.. I got a few calls to make."

* * *

Toriel looked up from her book as she heard Frisk give out a long, drawn out yawn. She smiled warmly as she saw the young boy snuggle closer into the blanket that she had draped over him when he had first sat down. She looked at the empty teacup that rested on the floor, as well as the empty plate beside it.

She had insisted on baking Frisk a pie, though she had lacked enough cinnamon to bake the cinnamon pie she had wanted and had compromised a cinnamon and butterscotch pie instead. Frisk seemed to have enjoyed it, and was now teetering on the edge of slumber. A long weary followed by a nice healthy slice of hot warm pie and good cup of strong and sweet tea was certain to put someone of any stature very close to slumber, and Frisk was still a small boy.

She bit her lip gently. She was loathe to leave Frisk lying on the coach as he was, though the front room was very comfortably warm, and the fire wasn't going to suddenly go out in the next hour or so. But the couch was nothing compared to a nice comfortable bed and the thin blanket draped over him did little to do imitate a comfy heavy duvet.

She was however reluctant to let Frisk into… _that_ room. She shuddered. The idea of letting someone else sleep in there to her was… was…

Then she looked at Frisk's little face and her reluctance melted away. She was being stupid. Of course she was. How could she deny the poor boy a bed to sleep just because she was a sentimental old monster. He had immediate need of a bed, and she had two spare.

Her decision made up, she closed the book with a far more forceful snap than she intended and Frisk gave a small start as he was rested from the haze between sleep and wakefulness. Toriel gave him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry my child, I was just think perhaps it's time we put you to bed. What do you think?"

Frisk rubbed his eye with one balls up little fist and nodded slowly, yawning again. Toriel smiled at him again and got to her feet, walking over to his side as he slid off the sofa and onto the floor, the blanket wrapped around him like a cape or robe of some kind. She smiled at this and lowered her hand for him to grasp and she led him past the front door and the steps that led down to the basement and down the other end of Toriel's little home. There were three doors down the other wing of the house, and Toriel took Frisk to the first of these. She paused, and ruffled his hair slightly, before opening the door to let them inside.

Inside was a dark room, for there was no window to let in the outside light. Frisk could easily see however that this was a bedroom for children like him. There was a wooden toy box with stuffed animals and wooden soldiers peaking from underneath the lid. A cute lamp sat on a chest of drawers, and the wardrobe was covered in little stars. Frisk smiled as he saw it, then realised that there were two of everything. Two beds. Two two boxes stuffed with toys. Two chests of drawers. Two wardrobes covered in stars. There were two children who were supposed to sleep in here.

Frisk looked up at Toriel, about to ask about just this. But Toriel was already steering him towards the closest bed. Almost as if she didn't want to be here. As if she wanted to get out of this room as fast as she possibly could. She kept her face turned away from him, right up until she lifted him from under the armpits into the bed. He caught a flash of her expression and saw something shine in the light from the outer corridor.

Was she crying?

* * *

" _Grillby. What's up?"_

" _Something bad that's what. Papyrus came in earlier. Looked like he could do with a real pick me up."_

" _How's he doing? He's not hurt is he?"_

" _No, he's fine…"_

" _But?"_

" _They're back. And they've got a target."_

" _Where's the kid now?"_

" _How did you-"_

" _Is it ever anyone other than kids Grillby?"_

" _Fair enough."_

" _So. Where's the kid Grillby?"_

" _Toriel… the kid's with Toriel."_


End file.
